Cinnamon

The name cinnamon comes from cane, "pipe", the shape that the cinnamon bark "sticks" take when drying. Synonyms: Ceylon cinnamon Botanical name: Cinnamomum zeylanicum, C. verum Common names: Europe: English: cinnamon, German: Kanel, Zimt, Echter Zimt, Ceylon-Zimt, Zimtblüte (buds), Spanish: canela, Italian: cannella, Portuguese: Canela, Greek: Kanéla, Dutch: Kaneel, Russian: KoritsaAfrica: Arabic: QurfaAsia: Sanskrit: Durusita, Hindi: Darchini, Nagkesar (buds), Singaporean: Kurundu, Sri Lankan: Kurundu, Malay: kayu manis, Indonesian: kayu manis, Thai: Op cheuy, Chinese: Jou kuei, Yuk gwai, Japanese: Seiron nikkei Description: Fermented bark of the cinnamon tree, devoid of its corky skin. The cinnamon tree is present in its spontaneous state in Sri Lanka, Burma and southern India. Since ancient times, cinnamon has been a spice used in many savory dishes in Asia. It was imported very early in Europe, where it flavors many sweet dishes. Do not confuse real cinnamon with cassia (Cinnamomum cassia) which is coarser and does not contain eugenol. History: Cinnamon is cited in oldest writings (around 2500 BC). In traditional Chinese medicine, it has always been used as a fortifier. Among the Egyptians, it is used in the composition of products used for embalming. Hieroglyphics from the 17th Dynasty (1500 BC) relate that cinnamon arrived by ship from Somalia to Egypt along with frankincense and myrrh. The first century Greek physician Pedanios Dioscorides, in his treatise "On Materia Medica", containing the description of several hundred medicinal plants says: "Cinnamon invigorates, activates digestion, is diuretic, is a counterpoison and an anti-venom." In 65, in a fit of rage, Nero killed with a blow of foot in the belly of his wife Poppea, then pregnant. Subsequently, in his memory, for each anniversary of his death, he burned all the cinnamon reserves in Rome. The distribution of cinnamon remained confidential in Europe until the 13th century. At this time, its price fell. Qazwini Arab geographer and cosmographer (1203-1283), described in one of his works the commercial circuits of cinnamon. In 1505, the Portuguese occupied the island of Ceylon (Sri Lanka). The Ceylon cinnamon trade enriched Portuguese traders until 1609, when the Dutch took control of the island. They then systematically destroyed overproduction to maintain high prices. In 1796 the English confiscated the market and officially obtained the island in 1802 by the Treaty of Amiens. At the end of the 18th century, cinnamon was introduced to Java and the Seychelles. .Since always, and still today, Sri Lankan cinnamon remains the most sought after. Historical bibliography: Geographical dictionary, Qazwini (Zakariya ibn Muhammad ibn Mahmud, known as Al Qazwini) (1203-1283) Travels of M. de Thévenot containing the relationship of Indostan, the new Moguls and other peoples and countries of the Indies, Jean de Thévenot (1633-1667)Flora Sinensis, (1656), Father Michel BoymThe Grand Dictionnaire de Cuisine, Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870)On tells...Herodotus (484 - 425 BC) says that Arab merchants reported this story: Enormous and bloodthirsty birds build their nests on vertiginous peaks in the depths of Arabia. They make these nests exclusively with cinnamon which only grows on these inaccessible cliffs. To recover this cinnamon, the only way that Arab traders have found is to throw quarters of monkey meat so that the insatiable birds pile them in their nests. After a while, the nests, overloaded, collapse. The reckless merchants collect the little cinnamon that has fallen at the foot of the cliff, risking their lives, because the birds, despite the feast, are keeping watch...As a token of love the Austrians give each other small bouquets containing cinnamon.Properties :Stimulant (cinnamic aldehyde)AstringentCarminativeDigestivePowerful antiseptic, antifungal, antibacterialAnti-flu and against coldsAntispasmodicAphrodisiac of course!Composition:4 to 10% essential oilPhenylpropenoids: 50 to 75% cinnamic aldehyde4 to 10% eugenolsafrol, ester of cinnamic acid 3% terpenes: camphor, pinene, cineol, phellandrene Cinnamon: Cinnamon zeylanicum or Cinnamon. verumfamily of Lauraceae such as laurelDepending on the species, shrub (5 - 7 m) or tree (10 - 15 m) with evergreen foliage growing in sandy soil in hot and humid regions. Its bark is harvested in the rainy season, May, - June and October - November in Sri Lanka. The outer corky layer is removed by scraping. There are more than 100 species of cinnamon trees. New paragraph